in my psychology class i learned that in restaurant menu’s, the items that are pictured are ordered more often and they use that to their advantage. also, items that are listed farther at the top of a list are also chosen more often, not just in menus but any type of list really. anyways, i found that most often, when shopping on this sight that the colorways of the yoyos that are pictured and the ones closer to the top of the list are, more often than not, sold out first or have a lower stock amount left than the others. almost all the time those aren’t even the ones i find physically appealing. sorry if i wasted anyone’s time with this. i just can’t sleep.
I actually noticed that too. I wonder if it’s because other people will recognize it more when you use it? They’ll see that youre using the display? Similar to the way people buy clothes that models advertise instead of the off clearance rack?
I have a psych master’s, and this is definitely true. It’s the reason why, at fast food restaurants, the “value” meals are massive and pictured while the individual items are in a tiny list. They want you to get the value meal because the drink is almost pure profit at a $1 added cost.
But I don’t think that’s really the case here. People generally know what they want when they’re spending this kind of money on an item as trivial as a yoyo. If you put Hulk Smash at the top or the bottom of the list, it’s still going to sell out quickly. Maybe YYE puts the more likely sell out’s up top, but I don’t think the list itself is doing the selling.
The real psychology of yoyo’s is happening in the branding, where the “high end” aluminum discs somehow just seem “worth” 4 times the cost. CLYW has amazing brand identity for such a small company. They do it better than anyone else.
I find it funny that I associate certain colors with certain yoyos. Like I associate the Duncan Raptor with the color orange because the first time I saw a Raptor it was orange.
I won’t deny this tactic does work for me. At the same time, fortunately for me, this is usually what I am looking for anyways. Put the popular things where people can see it faster. Put big ticket items here they can catch attention easier. However, you’re also suggesting accidental bait and switch tactics, which is rather common in the restaurant industry. However, it’s not intentional, its typically due to not anticipating demand.
When I go to a Vietnamese place, I have to use the pictures since they keep giving me menus that aren’t in my language, or else I don’t know what it is I want. I usually just tell my wife “just order for me”.
I can’t sleep either. I’m all congested and with headache over this cold I just came down with.
you really should get into social psychology, communication, marketing, there are TONS of little things like that. It’s the main reason I don’t watch TV anymore, advanced manipulative techniques are used on almost every show out there (especially the news, but they all use it and have been for a very long time) in order to bias public opinions. but that’s another discussion.
I have noticed that as well, good observations
I wasn’t ignorant of this beforehand, but is it really to that extent?
just think about it
interests are huge (power, wealth)
the science does exist and it was actually made for that use (first commercial, then influential/political)
I’ve actually been on TV shows, I was curious on the “behind the scenes” part and to see the differences between what is filmed and what is showed. It was not a serious show, it was a talk show about society issues, in that very case video game addiction. So a rather neutral subject.
I was amazed by how they put it together in order to air it, they did not make things up, but they put it together in a very biased manner (I gave replies strategically with pros/cons etc… they only left the cons and edit out the pros, cut it with scenes of people acting shocked, scenes that I know -for having been there- went from another moment and were about another topic)
For my work, I had to learn all of this and use it, which is how, over time, I came to the conclusion that all medias (and beyond) are using and abusing those techniques in order to manipulate public opinion. Arguably, some are more “ethical” than others and it’s not all black. But ultimately, it comes down to interest, lobbies, pressure etc… my opinion (which is mine and which I do not want to impose on you, I’d be happy to develop a little more in private, but this is how far I’ll go in public) is that there is no bigger farce than a news TV show.
Now when it comes to businesses, the bigger ones are obviously employing professionals to handle this kind of thing.
Some of that stuff, you learn in business courses
To my observation, about half of the small businesses today use standard manipulation techniques (things such as “mandatory, but free and quick registration”, or “register to our newsletter”, “leave a comment” etc… all ignite a manipulative process, but not all companies actually do it while knowing about it)
Actually most of us use some of them. there’s one in particular that almost everybody uses:
when you want to ask something to someone, and you say “it’s ok if you refuse” or “I would understand if you’d refuse”, this is also a known manipulative technique. But most people say it genuinely. Statistically, it raises significantly your chances of getting a positive response.
You got negotiations too, when someone asks for an insanely high price, then work his way down, usually the first offer is expected to be refused, but is used as a psychological trigger in order to get the highest possible negotiated price in the end.
There’s one you can try out. if you don’t smoke, keep doing that, but if you smoke, try it
Go in the street, ask somebody (who’s smoking a cigarette), what time it is. Then ask him for a smoke.
The test proved that if you’d ask directly for a smoke, the success rate is around 30%, if you ask for the time first, then a smoke, the success rate rises up to 70%
it’s important to be educated about manipulative techniques, not to manipulate others, rather to avoid being manipulated ourselves. Whether it is from external influences (friends, family, media, companies etc…) or from our own (self manipulation is the kind of thing that actually break lives and families).
But like the force in star wars, the manipulative techniques can be used for good or bad (for example, you can help a friend to quit smoking, or do necessary improvements in his life or self discipline)
There are books out there, unfortunately I know mostly french ones, but I’m sure there are good ones out there in english, I’d recommend you to read one or two, just to be aware of what’s going on and how these things work, it’ll help you great time in your own life, I guarantee.
Is your wife Vietnamese?